Why can't I see my external hard drive, Intel iMac / 500 GB, G-Drive

Why can't I see my external hard drive? I have a new iMac, Intel based i5, running Lion (2-3 months old). I have a 500 GB G-Drive external hard drive that has showed up when connected to my iMac for the past 2-3 months. Now it's gone. It's NOT visible when using Disk Utilities. I have all of the radio buttons chosen in the Finder Preferences. I've unplugged and replugged in the drive, have switched the cable ports and have switched firewire cable. The G-Drive powers up and whirls, so I don't believe the problem is with the drive. Yes, I set my Preferences to make sure ALL disk types are visible. I've restarted my iMac on a number of occations. I rest my SMC by totally unplugging my iMac for a minute, then plugging it back in. Any suggestions?

Unplug the HD, Zap the PRAM, reconnect the HD, power it up, and see if that fixes the problem. If not, then maybe the HDs bitten the dust. Try on another computer to verify.

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How do I do this?
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guess you could test it with another computer
to see if it can access it but
pretty sure that maverick or bootcamp didn't cause the issue
could be the data is corrupt and a reformat would fix it
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For 2 years or more I've had an external hrad drive to back up my Imac. One day I got a message that there had not beeb a back up for for a really long time ( I have it on automatic).
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Great news, thanks!
On iTunes see this...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
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I have a powered hub plugged into my Time Capsule.
Into the powered hub I have a printer; printer works fine.
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I have heard mention "need to map the drive". Do you think this would help?
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[DISCLAIMER: My question is short, but my details are not. This is going to be a LONG read, but I wanted to make sure I provided all you helpful people with as much information as I could so that I could receive the best possible solution. So your patience and assistance is greatly appreciated!]
In iMovie [version 4.0.1], when I click on the Photo button to import pictures into my project from iPhoto, the following error message appears: "No photos were found. To use this feature, you must first create a photo library using iPhoto version 2.0 or later."
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SECOND ATTEMPT:
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THIRD ATTEMPT:
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Unlike most users, my iPhoto Library is actually located on an external hard drive under "my hard drive name"/Pictures/iPhoto Library. When I checked this folder for the AlbumData.xml file , it simply did not exist. So as a test, I created a new iPhoto Library also on my external hard drive but the AlbumData.xml file was not created with it. I opened up iMovie just to see if it was able to browse the iPhoto library properly. But it still didn't work.
However, when I created a test iPhoto Library directly onto my Mac's hard drive, the AlbumData.xml file was indeed created with it. And when I opened up iMovie again... lo and behold, the iPhoto library finally appeared. It worked. But unfortunately, this solution still doesn't help me at all!
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[my specs are listed below if that helps any]
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a very disgruntled wizkid :\
PowerBook G4 12" [1GHz, 256MB, 40GB] Mac OS X (10.3.9) GeForce FX Go5200 32MB, Matshita DVD-R UJ-816, Maxtor External Hard Drive [250GB, Firewire & USB 2.0]

My main concern at this point is that the AlbumData.xml file is unable to create itself onto the External HD. When I view the file [that I created from my test iPhoto Library on my Mac's HD] in finder, it appears to be a Final Cut Pro type of extension. Is something wrong with my External Hard Drive in that regard? Is it just incapable of storing those file types??? Hmmm...
As for the alias solution... instead of alias-ing the "Pictures" folder like you have, I've already tried creating an alias of the "iPhoto Library" folder on my External HD and placing it within the "Pictures" folder on my Mac. But when I tried to "Find Library" upon launching iPhoto, the prompt box would not allow me to choose the "iPhoto Library" alias I had created. So I couldn't open it.
To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how to create an alias correctly... or perhaps I should try alias-ing the actual "Pictures" folder (like you have) rather than just the "iPhoto Library" folder, but I don't know how to do that correctly either.
FYI... I am mounting my External HD before I launch iPhoto.
Also, I have also tried dragging the AlbumData.xml file that I created from the test iPhoto Library into my active iPhoto Library folder residing on my External HD. It would appear to be in the folder, but as soon as I clicked somewhere else in finder and than back into the folder, it would disappear. Not sure how to "point to it" either.
Karl, think maybe you could provide some hints on how to properly alias something or "point" to the AlbumData.xml file? I'd try it myself, but I don't wanna screw anything up by accident.
PS. As stated in the post above, there's a possibility my External HD is no longer Mac OS formatted... at which point I throw my hands up into the air and scream!
thanks for the tips thus far... everyone's so nice and helpful... I love it!
-the kid
PowerBook G4 12" [1GHz, 256MB, 40GB] Mac OS X (10.3.9) GeForce FX Go5200 32MB, Matshita DVD-R UJ-816, Maxtor External Hard Drive [250GB, Firewire & USB 2.0]

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Product ID:          0x0951
Vendor ID:          0x059f (LaCie)
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Serial Number:          152D203380B6
Speed:          Up to 480 Mb/sec
Manufacturer:          LaCie
Location ID:          0x24300000 / 4
Current Available (mA):          500
Current Required (mA):          2
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Why can't I see my external hard drive, Intel iMac / 500 GB, G-Drive

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